The move has been made – Kalen DeBoer will replace Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Decision-makers in Alabama have chosen to hire DeBoer instead of Washington, following his presence at the National Title one week prior.
After the 2021 season, Washington hired DeBoer. After leading the Huskies to an 11-2 season in 2022, he led them to a 14-1 record in 2023. Prior to that, under DeBoer’s leadership, Fresno State went from a 3-3 record to a 9-3 record during the abbreviated COVID year and the 2021 season.
He was a regular competitor in the NAIA level at Sioux Falls, taking home three of the five national titles he tried his hand at between 2005 and 2009. After that, DeBoer attended Eastern Michigan and Southern Illinois until accepting a position as offensive coordinator at Fresno in 2017. After that, he moved on to become Indiana’s offensive coordinator. Indiana lost to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, and he finally returned to Fresno as the head coach in 2020.
DeBoer made Washington a serious contender for the College Football Playoffs right away. He now accepts a position that follows a legend and comes with an endless amount of pressure. Is he able to recruit? He can plan plays, that much is known. Can someone without any Southern ties recruit in the South, though? His hiring decisions will be crucial in that regard.
As we enter the new SEC without divisions and with the arrival of Oklahoma and Texas, it’s an interesting time. How do you feel about the hire?
In the 75th annual Senior Bowl, which will take place at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama on Saturday, February 3 at noon, Wallace will play alongside fellow UK teammates Ray Davis and Andru Phillips. Over 900 NFL professionals, including important decision-makers from all 32 teams, are scheduled to attend. For the third consecutive year in April, the game resulted in 100 overall NFL Draft selections, or 40% of the total draft, with 40 of those selections coming from the first two rounds.
The former Boston College commit Wallace was rated by 247Sports as the No. 36 overall talent and the No. 5 linebacker in the 2021 class. Wallace turned down scholarship offers from Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, among other schools.
In addition to not necessarily being linear, success can also be fleeting for a large number of college football players. In the transfer portal and NIL age, student-athletes often attempt to cash in on their breakout seasons, creating somewhat of a dangerous endeavour for their present institutions and potential suitors. The multiple transfer portal busts that dogged the 2023 season serve as proof that it’s not always an easy idea to bet on a player’s growth to remain on an upward trend.
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